nuchs to guard his palace. I haven’t decided what to do
with any of you yet, but one more lie like that and you’ll
find yourself a candidate for the knife o’ the ship’s
doctor.”
Jon-Tom tried to pick a likely candidate for ship’s
physician out of the surrounding collection of cutthroats
and failed, though he imagined that whoever that worthy
might be, he hadn’t taken his internship at the Mayo
Clinic.
Mudge held his peace, along with everything else. The
blue eye fastened on Jon-Tom. “Perhaps you be smarter
than your sour-whiskered companion. Where be you bound,
man?”
“Snarken,” Jon-Tom replied without hesitation.
Corroboc nodded- “Now, that makes sense, A sensible
THE DAY or THE DISSONANCE
113
one. You be a strange specimen, tall man. Be you from the
region o’ the Bellwoods?”
“I am.” He had to risk the falsehood. It was true
enough now, anyway.
The parrot blew his nose on the deck, sniffed. “Fortunately
for you I am in a good humor this morning.” Jon-Tom
decided he did not want to encounter him when he was in
a bad mood. “You two”—he indicated Mudge and Jalwar—
“can start cleaning out the bilges. That’s a job long
overdue and one I am certain you’ll find to your liking.
Won’t you?’*
Uncertain whether to say yes sir, no sir, or nothing at
all, Jalwar stood and shook in terror. Mudge wasn’t up to
commenting. Corroboc was apparently satisfied, because
he nodded absently before moving down to stare fearlessly
up at the towering Roseroar.
“As for you, I’d be pleased to make you one of my
crew. Tis plain enough to see you’re no stranger to a life